10 Yard Fight – Late Game Magic

Three of the big games on the week 9 slate came down to the wire. In New England, the Patriots saw ghosts of Super Bowl 42, losing in the last seconds of the game, while in San Diego, the Chargers’ valiant comeback against the Green Bay Packers ended up with Philip Rivers as the goat, yet again. And in Pittsburgh, Joe Flacco took his team all the way down the field in just over 2 minutes to upend the Steelers, who took the lead for the first time all game just a few minutes before.

1. The Pats and NY Giants were scoreless at halftime, but they both turned on the jets in the second half. The Giants took a lead going into the 4th quarter, but Tom Brady led his team back to take a 3-point lead with just 1:36 left in the game. Thanks in part to a defensive pass interference call at the one yard line, Eli Manning hooked up with Jake Ballard on a touchdown pass with just 15 seconds left to win the game.

No word on where David Tyree was at the time of the play, though, he and Ballard share the same number. Maybe he sent him some of his heroic vibes?

You know Tyree had to be thinking about this:

2. Philip Rivers is having a helluva time completing passes to guys on his team this year. I expected him to take it to the next level this season, even so much as predicting that the Chargers would beat the Packers in the Super Bowl. But I also hedged that bet after week one, writing that the Packers had a great chance to go undefeated this year and I circled this game as the one that would give them the most problems. The Packers were able to hold off the Chargers in a boat race of a game 45-37. Rivers’ two pick-6s in the first quarter helped the Pack get out to an early 21-7 lead and they held on even though Rivers got the Bolts to within 7 with just over 6 minutes left in the game. And yes, Rivers was intercepted to seal the game for the Pack.

3. Torrey Smith dropped a touchdown earlier in the game winning drive but Joe Flacco stayed with him for the winning touchdown with just 8 seconds left. On the drive just before that, the Steelers chose to punt rather than try a long field goal, which would’ve made the Ravens’ touchdown the game tying touchdown rather than the game winning touchdown in their 23-20 victory.

4. As a 49ers fan, I hope my pesky 49ers stay overlooked. After years and years of failure, I’m not comfortable with anyone saying they’re good, because you know, it would just be a let down if they made the playoffs and went home one and done. Today, they kicked 4 field goals and got into the end zone just once. Maybe that will cause them to continue being overlooked. The Redskins scored a late touchdown to make the game 19-11 in the end. The 49ers made John Beck throw 47 times to get his 254 yards and forced 4 fumbles, picking up 2. Okay, I need to be quiet because I need people to continue over looking them as they are now 7-1.

5. The NY Jets had previously been undefeated at home (4-0) and winless on the road (0-3) until heading into Buffalo to take on the tied for first place Buffalo Bills. The Bills were tied with the Patriots for first place in the AFC East, but held a slight edge with the head-to-head victory. Well, now there’s a three-way tie and you can add the Jets to the mix. The Jets handled the Bills, not allowing the Bills to get into the end zone until just over 3 minutes were left in the game. Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled, and the Jets held Fred Jackson to just 82 yards rushing in the 27-11 win.

6. The Miami Dolphins failed in their attempt to Suck For Luck. Previously winless, they scorched the Kansas City Chiefs 31-3. Matt Moore threw 3 TDs in the victory. The Indianapolis Colts did a much better job as they were blasted by the Atlanta Falcons 31-7 to stay winless. Julio Jones had his first touchdown catch of the year with this fantastic grab:

The Rams did another fantastic job in the Suck For Luck campaign too, losing in overtime. Check out Patrick Peterson with the walkoff:

7. And as always, you have to mention Tim Tebow, especially when his team wins. The Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders 38-24 and it wasn’t necessarily because of the arm of Tebow, but more so because of the legs of Tim Tebow and Willis McGahee. Together, they rushed 280 yards in the rout. Even though you can’t see it right now, I’m Tebowing.

8. Did you know the Cincinnati Bengals are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the best record in the AFC? They’ve won 5 in a row to set up what should be the litmus test for them next weekend against the Steelers.

9. And the rest … the Saints beat bumps on Tampa Bay to move to 6-3. The Cowboys stayed in the playoff hunt and moved to 4-4 with a victory over the Seahawks. DeMarco Murray continues to play well as he’s already at 400 yards rushing this season and could get to 1,000 on half a year of meaningful playing time. The Texans put a hurting on the Browns and also moved to 6-3 and unless there’s a giant collapse, it looks like they’re going to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

10. I’ve misfired on my last two Monday Night picks, but I feel strongly with this one. I expect a bit of a high scoring game, but I think the Eagles will hold court at home against the Bears to move to 4-4. Matt Forte may very well have a big game, but the Eagles should explode on the offensive side of the football as well.